Lanka Police Net 20 Alleged Gamblers Near Ramna Garbage Plant

Lanka police raided a gathering near the Ramna garbage plant on Thursday and arrested 20 men they allege were gambling, recovering Rs 1,05,450 and playing cards, inspector Rajkumar Sharma said.

The location sits on the southern edge of the Lanka circle, close enough to student and residential pockets that cards sessions sometimes draw players from outside the ward. Police said Thursday's group included men from Mirzapur and Chandauli as well as several Varanasi localities. Among those named in the station account were Mukhtar, Parvez and Amtaj of Sahewa (Jamalpur) in Mirzapur; Shivam Gupta of Narayanpur; Kamleshwar Yadav of Mudhua (Chakia) in Chandauli; Aman Jaiswal of Parav; Santosh Jaiswal of Singhi Tali in Alinagar; Dhiraj Kesari and Adarsh of Nadesar; Dharmendra Gupta, Ramjanam, Ravi Kumar and Raju Gupta of Sahid Naka crossing in Ramnagar; Satish Prajapati and Sanjeev Mishra of Mukimganj in Adampur; Shivam Pandey of Madhyameshwar under Kotwali; Karan of Naipura Kalan in Lanka; Ajay and Shubham of Sikhraul; and Rishabh of Bhojuveer.

A case was registered and challans prepared against those held, police said. All descriptions of organised gambling remain allegations until proved in court. The public briefing has focused on the raid, the headcount, the cash and card recovery, and the mixed local-and-outside composition of the group.

Lanka's night checks around Ramna are not new. Open ground near the plant has drawn complaint-driven raids before when neighbours report late gatherings. Thursday's action stands out mainly for the number taken in one sweep and the cash figure above one lakh rupees. Police have not claimed a permanent den with furniture or a named kingpin in the first account; the picture is of a session broken up outdoors.

BHU-side lanes and the Ramna stretch often see transient groups after dark, which is why the station treats tip-offs from residents seriously even when the gathering looks informal. Officers said the Thursday party was large enough, and the cash on the spot clear enough, to justify a full challan list rather than a warning.

Those arrested will face the station and court process on the gambling-related sections applied in the challan. Families collecting bail papers will deal with the usual paperwork. For the wider Lanka and Ramna belt, the message from the inspector's statement is that large cards gatherings near the plant remain a target when the station gets enough to move.

No injury or resistance was reported in the public version of the raid. The verified facts for now are the Thursday timing, the Ramna plant location, 20 arrests, Rs 1,05,450 and cards seized, and the named list released by Lanka police.